Brother of the Flash
by skg1991
Summary: What if Minato had a brother? What if he was on an SS-rank mission that took him nearly 12 years to complete? Slight One Piece crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**THE BROTHER OF THE FLASH**

**SUMMARY: **What if Minato had a brother? What if he was on an SS-rank mission that took him nearly 13 years to complete? Slight One Piece crossover.

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A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE THIRD GREAT NINJA WAR

Namikaze Minato was sitting in his office. He had become the Yondaime Hokage a month after the Third Great Ninja War. He had played a heroic role in the War almost winning it single handedly. Everyone hailed him for his role in the victory at Kannabi bridge where he devastated Iwa's troops completely killing thousands of Shinobi with his Hiraishin.

The last few months had been tough for him. He had been appointed as the Hokage and was responsible for the strengthening and rebuilding of the village after the war. His wife, Kushina was about seven months pregnant. Often it was hard to deal with a hard day at the office followed by a temperamental Kushina at home. Even without the hormones, Kushina required some high maintenance, not that he didn't like maintaining her, but the hormones made it worse.

To make things worse, his student, Hatake Kakashi had become more of a loner than ever. Kakashi had totally secluded himself after the death of both his teammates, Obito and Rin during the war.

Fortunately though for Minato, he had two people he could always count on. One was the old Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who could handle the paper work for him whenever needed. The other was his younger brother, Namikaze Takeshi. Takeshi, who was a Jounin had become someone he could always count on. Minato had adopted Takeshi as his younger brother at a very young age.

It was during his first C-rank mission. Minato was 10 back then. He was a part of team Jiraiya and they were examining a battle zone near Cha no Kuni, where they found a black haired, black eyed one year old baby. They took the baby to Konoha. Minato couldn't help but see himself in the baby. He took had been found under similar circumstances and grew up in the orphanage in Konoha. So when Minato requested to adopt Takeshi, not even Jiraiya and the Sandaime could deny him. Minato raised Takeshi himself and later Kushina helped when they both began dating. They became his ni-san and nee-chan. To make it look like they were real brothers, Takeshi dyed his hair bright yellow. Takeshi grew up to be a prodigy, graduating from the academy at five. He spent three years under Sakumo's tutelage before the cursed mission that led Sakumo's fall from grace and later his suicide. By then he was already a Chunin and by the time he was thirteen, he became a Jounin.

Whenever he was free, Takeshi took care of Kushina for Minato. He was really looking forward to being an uncle. It was often Takeshi, who was at the receiving end of Kushina's mood swings, but he endured them. Takeshi often escorted Kushina to her best friend, Uchiha Mikoto's place. Mikoto was pregnant with her second child who was due in a month or so. Takeshi loved spending time with Mikoto's oldest child, Itachi and his cousin, Shisui who were both very mature for his age. Both Itachi and Shisui looked up to Takeshi, who had instilled some important values in the young Uchihas, who seemed to have inherited their will of fire from Takeshi. Takeshi had also become like an older brother to Kakashi. Takeshi used to hate Kakashi before. The reason being that Kakashi used to hate his own father, Hatake Sakumo, who was Takeshi's sensei.

Takeshi used to like Obito and Rin more than Kakashi. But after the death of Obito, he noticed the change in Kakashi and accepted him as a younger brother. It was Takeshi and Gai who brought Kakashi out of his depression.

However since Konoha was recovering from war, they had to take a lot of missions and Takeshi, being a Jounin often had to go on missions. His name was already listed in the Bingo books as an A-ranked ninja and hence he often had to take part in high profile missions that sent him out of Konoha for long periods of time.

And right now, one such mission lay on Minato's desk. He had gone over the mission over and over again, weighting the pros versus the cons. The cons did outweigh the pros. The mission could send his brother away from Konoha for years, perhaps more than a decade. His brother could very easily die during this mission. This mission was without a doubt an SS-rank mission, which was above his level. The mission could keep Naruto away from his uncle for a very long time and Minato knew better than anyone else that Takeshi was so looking forward to being an uncle. If the mission ended up as a failure, Konoha could very well be looking at a Fourth Great Ninja War.

The pro was that if the mission became a success, Konoha could have a very powerful ally. Despite the cons outweighing the pros, Minato being an optimist couldn't help but think positively. He knew he could trust his brother. His brother was among the best Jounin in Konoha, who could someday even surpass him.

The only other ninja he could possibly send for this mission was Jiraiya. But Jiraiya was in charge of Konoha's spy network, something Konoha needed badly while recovering from the Third Great Ninja War.

Orochimaru had recently become a missing-nin. Orochimaru was caught experimenting on so many orphans. Tsunade had left the village already with Shizune, who had become his brother's love interest. Sakumo was dead. Kakashi was only a B-ranked ninja yet and a mission like this would only worsen him emotionally. Only Takeshi had the right mind and was anywhere near strong enough for this mission. He could send a couple of Anbu with Takeshi to help him during this mission.

The mission was to help the Bloodline faction of Kirigakure win the civil war in Kiri. Things could turn sour if the Mizukage's faction won and Takeshi's involvement was known to him. But Minato couldn't help but feel disgusted at the actions of the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, who considered those with bloodlines as monsters. To make things worse, Yagura was the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi, who had full control over the beast and his powers.

Takeshi knew all about Biju and Jinchuuriki, being the chief caretaker of pregnant Kushina, who was Konoha's own Jinchuuriki. He had also learnt Fuinjutsu from Kushina. Minato sighed in frustration, before opening the Bingo book to page 281 which had Takeshi's profile.

'**THE TYPHOON' NAMIKAZE TAKESHI**

**Village of Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**Age: 16**

**Recognizable Traits: Clean cut Strawberry blond hair, Wears Glasses, Scar over his right eye, Black eyes, Black facial hair, Black Gauntlets with Hidden Blades on both arms, Black Boots with Hidden Blades.**

**Rank: Jounin**

**Height: 5'5**

**Weight: 55kg or 121 pounds**

**Bloodline: None**

**Elements: Wind, Water, Lightning**

**Ninjutsu: High Jounin. Very Deadly with Wind Jutsu in particular**

**Genjutsu: Low Jounin. Can use the Nidaime Hokage's Kokuoangyo no Jutsu**

**Taijutsu: High Jounin. Uses Hidden Blades with Wind Coating to enhance him in battle.**

**Kenjutsu: Mid Jounin.**

**Rank: High A**

**Remarks: Brother of the Yondaime Hokage, Kiroi Senko, Namikaze Minato. Master of Fuinjutsu. No reported ability to use the Hiraishin. Capable medic. Excellent sensor. **

**Bounty: 50,000,000ryo **

**Wanted in: Iwagakure and Kumogakure**

**Advice: Engage with caution. Do not engage alone. Keep your distance. If with his brother, flee.**

Minato called for his brother and gave Takeshi the mission. Upon reading the details of the mission, Takeshi looked at Minato and said, "Take care of Naruto while I'm gone. Also tell him about me. It'll be a while before I see him. Also watch over Kakashi, Itachi and Shisui. Nee-chan is with Mikoto-nee now. Itachi and Shisui are there too. I'll just go and tell them that I'm leaving for a long term mission and won't be around when Naruto and Sasuke are born. Goodbye Minato-nisan."

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THIRTEEN YEARS LATER

A man with long blond hair, glasses, and a black beard with a scar over his right eye was walking towards Konoha. He wore black Gauntlets and Boots, a sleeveless tight blue t-shirt, black pants and a thick white cloak with a hood that was left open.

He took out a small tin bottle filled with sake and tried to empty its content into his mouth only to find out that it was empty. He put the bottle inside his pocket as he said, "Looks like my sake is over. I'll have to refill in Konoha. I wonder how ni-san and nee-chan are. Little Naruto must be a Gennin by now. I hope nothing bad happened while I was in Kiri."

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BINGO BOOK (PAGE 281):

'**THE DARK KING' NAMIKAZE TAKESHI**

**Village of Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**Age: 29**

**Recognizable Traits: Long blond hair, Glasses, Black beard, Scar over his right eye, Black Gauntlets with Hidden Blades on both arms, Black Boots with Hidden Blades, Thick white cloak with a hood.**

**Rank: Jounin**

**Height: 6'0**

**Weight: 75kg or 165 pounds**

**Bloodline: None**

**Elements: Wind, Water, Lightning, Earth, Fire**

**Ninjutsu: Kage**

**Genjutsu: Kage **

**Taijutsu: Kage **

**Kenjutsu: High Jounin**

**Rank: SS**

**Remarks: Brother of the Yondaime Hokage, Kiroi Senko, Namikaze Minato. Master of Fuinjutsu. No reported ability to use the Hiraishin. A capable medic. Excellent sensor. Killer of the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. Hero of Kirigakure.**

**Bounty: 150,000,000ryo**

**Wanted in: Otogakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure**

**Advice: Flee on Sight. **

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** I THOUGHT ABOUT MAKING THIS A CHALLENGE AND POSTING IT IN MY FORUM, ****NARUTO CHALLENGE FICS FOR ALL****. BUT HARDLY ANYONE HAS CHECKED OUT THE FORUM AND I'M NOT ALLOWED TO POST THE CHALLENGES AS STORIES EITHER, SO I DECIDED TO DO THIS ON MY OWN. I STRUGGLED TO COME UP WITH A JAPANESE NAME FOR TAKESHI AND I WASN'T QUITE SURE WHAT TO ENTER INTO THE BINGO BOOK CONTENT. **

**AS YOU MAY HAVE GUESSED ALREADY, I'VE MODELLED TAKESHI ON SILVERS RAYLEIGH OF ONE PIECE AND LIKE RAYLEIGH, TAKESHI WILL BE AN OP CHARACTER.**

**I HAVE NO IDEA HOW AND WHEN I'M GOING TO WRITE AND UPDATE MY STORIES. I SUPPOSE I'LL DO IT ACCORDING TO MY MOOD.**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: LEARNING THE TRUTH**

Takeshi noticed the gate guards, Kotetsu and Izumo as the kids who were in Kakashi's graduating class. When he told them his name, 'Namikaze Takeshi', their jaws dropped on the floor. He decided to go straight to the Hokage tower and talk with Minato first.

As he entered the Hokage's office, he noticed that it was the Sandaime who was in charge.

"Hey, is that you old man Sarutobi? Boy do you look old. Where is Minato-nisan?" Takeshi asked.

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from his paper work and recognized the face immediately. Everyone including Hiruzen had thought he was dead. He couldn't help but ask, "Is that you, Takeshi-kun?"

"Ofcourse it is me. Who else do you think it is?" Takeshi answered the shocked Sandaime.

"Where were you all these years?" Hiruzen asked the Jounin.

"Didn't Minato tell you? I was in Kiri helping the rebels win the war so that an alliance could be made. The Anbu who were with me died during the civil war. I however survived and completed the mission. The rebels have won. Mei Terumi is now the Godaime Mizukage and soon would be coming here for an alliance once she gets her village back in working condition." Takeshi answered the old man.

Hiruzen did not see this coming. Sure he knew that Minato wanted to bring Peace to the World just like his sensei, Jiraiya but never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Minato sending his younger brother to a suicide zone for the sake of making the peace a reality.

"All that Minato told me was that he sent you on an SS-rank mission. He didn't mention the mission. We all thought you were dead since we didn't get any message from you. Why didn't you send any messages about your whereabouts?" The Sandaime asked again.

"I was fighting a war for the rebels of Kiri. If Yagura won the war and learnt that Konoha sent me to fight for the rebels, it could have meant a Fourth Great Ninja War with Kiri attacking Konoha. Iwa wouldn't have stayed silent after what Minato-nisan did to them. They would have participated too. Suna being our ally might be forced to participate and it'd be only a matter of time before Kumo got involved. They've always been jealous of the number of bloodlines that we've got. They once tried to take Kushina-neechan away. They would join the other side too to get their hands on one of our bloodlines. I had to make sure that I'm not traced back to Konoha in any manner. I fought using an Anbu mask till the very end, didn't send any messages that could have been intercepted, kept my identity and affiliations known only to the inner circle of the rebel's contingent and closed myself from the outside world. It was only after killing Yagura, that I removed my mask. I was just known as 'The Dark King' throughout the civil war. I honestly have no idea what all happened in the World in the last 13 years. I'll need a long history lesson. To be honest it'd be much easier if Minato-nisan was here. Where the hell is he?" Takeshi asked Hiruzen.

Hiruzen was shocked. Rumors of 'The Dark King' had reached Konoha's ears. He never thought 'The Dark King' would be one of their own. He took a deep breath before answering, "Minato is dead. He died sacrificing his life to save Konoha from the Kyuubi. I've taken over as Hokage once again."

The answer shook Takeshi to the core. He took a moment to digest the information before saying, "I suppose Kushina-neechan is dead too. If the Kyuubi escaped, the Jinchuuriki would have died as well. But how? He had practiced the seal so many times over and over again. What about the child? What about Naruto? Did he survive?"

Hiruzen wasn't expecting this question. He didn't expect Takeshi to know that Kushina was the Jinchuuriki. He might have to tell him everything that transpired. Knowing Takeshi, he would be pissed to learn what happened to his nephew.

Just then, the door to his office slammed open and team 7 entered with Naruto shouting, "Jiji, mission accomplished datebayo!"

Takeshi turned around to see the kid that had just yelled those words. He recognized the face immediately. He was looking at a junior Minato with whisker marks, wearing bright orange clothes and the word, 'datebayo' was very similar to Kushina's verbal tick, 'datebane'. What more he could sense the Kyuubi within the kid. He recognized the kid immediately. 'This is my nephew', he thought to himself.

"Takeshi-ni"

Takeshi looked up from the short blond kid to the familiar face that just entered the room. The face of a tall man with a mask covering more than half his face and an eye covered by his hitai-ate.

"Kakashi, is that you?" Takeshi asked.

When Kakashi nodded, he continued, "Man, you've grown tall. You're as tall as me. We'll talk later. We need to catch up."

Naruto suddenly decided to interrupt the conversation, "Jiji, who is this Ossan?"

"Naruto-kun, meet Namikaze Takeshi. He is the younger brother of your hero, the Yondaime Hokage and the adoptive older brother of your sensei, Hatake Kakashi. He just came back from a thirteen yearlong mission." Hiruzen answered the young blond.

The young blond and his two teammates looked at Takeshi with awe written all over their faces. That was when Takeshi noticed Naruto's teammates. A girl with pink hair who looked like a fan-girl and a boy that looked like a brooder. The boy looked a lot like Mikoto. He remembered that Mikoto was also pregnant when he left. He came to the conclusion, 'That was probably her second son, Sasuke.'

Hiruzen decided to send team 7 away. He turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, you can catch up with Takeshi later. I need a written report of all that happened during your mission to Nami no kuni. The payment will be given accordingly. Now Team 7, you're dismissed. I need to talk to Takeshi now."

When Team 7 walked away, Takeshi turned to the Hokage and said, "So my nephew is still alive. I could also sense the Kyuubi in him. Oddly, that makes sense. He is an Uzumaki and knowing my brother, he couldn't have asked anyone else to sacrifice their child. But a baby cannot hold the Kyuubi. He probably used the Shiki fuin to seal half the Kyuubi inside himself and the other half, he sealed inside Naruto. Kakashi is his sensei and Mikoto's second son is his teammate. Interesting!"

Hiruzen was impressed. "How did you guess all this?"

Takeshi smiled as he said, "I spent a lot of time with Kushina-neechan and Minato-nisan learning seals. Which seal did he use to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto?"

"He used the Hakke no Shiki fuin."

"Now why would he do that? He could have used the Chained Orb seal that Kushina-neechan and Mito-sama had? It is less complex and is more guaranteed to make sure that the Kyuubi doesn't escape. To make things better Naruto being a boy can never be pregnant. Old man, did someone interfere in Naruto's birth?" Takeshi asked the Sandaime.

"Jiraiya suspected the same thing. My wife, Biwako was supposed to conduct the child birth. Biwako and the Anbu stationed near the cave where found dead with cuts made by a kunai on them. Also the Kyuubi when it attacked seemed to be in rage and out of control. Minato was also a bit late. When the Kyubi first fired a Bijudama, Minato used his Hiraishin to send it somewhere else but then Minato disappeared for a while. Me and the other Jounin where working on pushing the Kyuubi out of Konoha. During the battle we noticed the Kyuubi's eye pattern changing before Minato appeared and used the Hiraishin to move the Kyuubi and himself out of Konoha. I and a few Jounin ran to the location where both Minato and Kushina were present. Kushina used a seal to keep us from interfering while Minato sealed the Kyuubi inside Naruto. Why would you suspect the same?" Hiruzen asked Takeshi.

"The Hakke Fuin is designed in such a way that the Kyuubi's chakra seeps into Naruto, especially at a time of need. In a way, the Kyuubi will be protecting Naruto all the time. But the more he uses the Kyuubi's chakra, the quicker the seal deteriorates. In other words, at some point, Naruto must master full control over the Kyuubi. Ni-san probably wanted Jiraiya-sensei to help Naruto and so must have given the key to Jiraiya. But mastering full control over the Kyuubi is next to impossible really." Takeshi answered.

"Why would you say that?"

"The Kyuubi has always had a lot of hatred, even more so compared to the other Biju. I've fought against Killer Bee during the Third Great Ninja War and against Yagura during the Civil War at Kiri. Both had full control over their Biju and could turn into the Biju at will. The Kyuubi has more hatred than the two of them combined is definitely stronger than both of them even if he is just half of what he used to be. The Kyuubi will keep trying to break out of the seal. And if Naruto has any hatred in him, it is going to be even harder. Knowing my brother, I'm pretty sure he'd have arranged a fail-safe in case the Kyuubi broke free and probably one more to help Naruto master his chakra." Takeshi reasoned.

"I see."

"I couldn't help but notice, was that Mikoto-neesan's second son, Sasuke in Naruto's team?" Takeshi asked.

"I'm surprised you recognized him considering the fact that you left before he was born. He was born a few days prior to the Kyuubi incident." Hiruzen replied.

"He looks a lot like Fugaku and Mikoto. He seems a bit grumpy though unlike Itachi. By the way, how is Itachi?" Takeshi asked.

"I see. So you didn't hear. Uchiha Itachi wiped out his entire clan except Sasuke in one night a few years ago. He used to be a prodigy. He was an Anbu captain by the time he was thirteen years old. I think the life of the Anbu got to him as he went on a killing spree and in one night killed every single member of the Uchiha clan. He then tortured his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke with an advanced Genjutsu before leaving the village." Hiruzen answered.

Takeshi was shocked beyond belief. He just couldn't believe it. The Uchiha clan, one of the strongest clans in history wiped out in one night by one of their more talented member. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't fit. He knew Itachi personally. Itachi was someone who had truly inherited the will of fire. He then turned to the Hokage and said, "Somehow, this doesn't fit. Others may believe this lie that Itachi went crazy one night, but I don't buy it. Itachi loved his family and he loved the village even more. Itachi hated war and by the time he was four, he had already been traumatized by war. He wouldn't have killed everyone unless he was trying to achieve an ulterior motive with it. What about Shisui? Did Itachi kill him too?"

"Yes, we think so. Shisui had been missing a few days before the massacre. Shisui used to be in the Anbu as well. He was an Anbu captain too. We believe that Shisui noticed Itachi's change first and confronted him. Itachi ended up killing Shisui and then destroyed his body. The Uchiha Military Police were investigating the case and Itachi began feeling the heat. I believe that's what led to the massacre." Hiruzen replied.

"Now I know that you're lying. During my time in Kiri, I mastered an ancient lost technique that is supposedly older than chakra and the Rikudou sennin, a power known as haki. I've mastered all the three types of haki. The first among them, Kenbonshoku haki improves my senses by a great degree. I know when you lie. And right now you were lying. You know that it wasn't Shisui's death that led to the massacre." Takeshi said.

Hiruzen was shocked, he hadn't seen that coming. Takeshi seeing Hiruzen's change in expression smiled as he continued, "My guess is that this all boils down to the Kyuubi incident. There was someone else there who controlled the Kyuubi and delayed my brother. The reason I say this is because I was the one who fought and defeated the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. Yagura was being controlled by a Genjutsu. That should not have been possible since Yagura had full control over his Biju. It was without doubt a Mangekyo Sharingan. Even the Sanbi inside him was put under the Genjutsu. No amount of pain I inflicted could break him out of it. I believe this same person was the one responsible for the Kyuubi incident. He like Uchiha Madara could control a Biju with his Sharigan. I suspect many others would have noticed the Sharingan like pattern in the Kyuubi's eyes while they were fighting him. This must have led to quite a few people displaying hatred against the Uchiha clan. Knowing how proud and arrogant the elders of the Uchiha clan were, I believe they may have slowly brainwashed Fugaku-san into planning a coup."

Takeshi throughout this entire period was merely guessing one of the possibilities. He had activated his haki and was listening Hiruzen's heart beat and pulse rate, all of which signified his guess was right. He decided to continue, "Since Itachi and Shisui were in the Anbu, they became your informants and began playing the role of double agents. Shisui was probably caught by one of the Uchiha and put to death, which led to the plan being accelerated. Itachi then killed his entire clan in one night because he knew that the coup would've led to a civil war in which his brother would have died. He left his brother alive because he didn't know anything about it. He put a Genjutsu on his brother so that one day, Sasuke could kill Itachi. Itachi wants Sasuke to kill him as means to punish him for his crimes against the Uchiha. Itachi wants Sasuke to redeem the Uchiha clan. He probably told you to protect Sasuke, isn't that right?"

Hiruzen couldn't believe it. The half-truths and lies that convinced the people of Konoha and the rest of the World about what happened during the Kyuubi incident and the Uchiha massacre had failed miserably in convincing the man in front of him, who not only figured out the truth behind the Kyuubi incident and the Uchiha massacre, but also brought to light the possible incidents that led to them, something those who knew about the incidents were still struggling to figure out. Most of all, what bothered Hiruzen was that there was an Uchiha alive who could control a Biju. There is a possibility that Takeshi could be wrong. But his reasoning skills were better than anyone around. His observation skills were also impressive. This power he called Haki was also really impressive. Hiruzen had learnt how to lie in cold blood to even the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, but still had been caught red-handed by Takeshi. If Takeshi was right, things could turn bad again. For now, he knew he was caught, he decided to trust the brother of his successor.

"You're right about everything. What bothers me is this Uchiha you just mentioned. Itachi right now is spying for us in a terrorist organization known as the Akatsuki that is filled with S-rank missing-nin from different countries. Orochimaru used to be a part of this group as well. Do you think this man is a part of that group?" Hiruzen asked.

"Probably. What is the objective of this group?" Takeshi asked.

"We don't know yet. Jiraiya is still investigating on them and their objectives." Hiruzen replied.

"So far he has targeted Kushina and Yagura and put both their Bijus in a Genjutsu. If by any chance, they start targeting Naruto and the other Jinchuurikis, I can assure you then that he is either a part of the group or works in the shadows." Takeshi replied.

They both shared a silent moment before Takeshi asked, "Tell me about Naruto. How is he treated? Do the people know that he is a Jinchuuriki? Does he know about his Biju? I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about his parents. If he did, he would have either punched me or hugged me. I suppose you didn't tell him because you didn't want Iwa or Kumo to come after him. Ni-san did make a lot of enemies afterall. I remember them targeting me back then because I was his brother. But I was already Jounin level by then and dealt with them rather easily."

Hiruzen sighed. He knew this would come eventually. He too cared for Naruto and wished he could provide him a better life. He replied, "You're right. He doesn't know about his parents. Quite a few people saw Minato sealing the Kyuubi inside Naruto. By the time I was reinstated as Hokage, word had already spread that Naruto was the container of the Biju. Some even thought that Naruto was the Kyuubi in human form. I decided to come up with a law that stated that matters regarding the Kyuubi and Naruto are S-rank secrets. Anyone who broke the rule was gravely punished. I hoped that the rule would help Naruto have a normal childhood. But that did not stop parents from telling their children to keep their distance from him and seclude him. He was kicked out of quite a few shops. The only ones who cared for him were the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame. Like Kushina before him, Naruto turned into a Ramen addict, eating Ramen three times a day, either at Ichiraku Ramen or as Cup Ramen. But the lack of attention left him very lonely and I couldn't do much either. Soon one thing led to another and Naruto in order to gain attention and acknowledgement began wearing bright orange clothes and playing pranks. He painted the Hokage monument in broad day light, put itching powder in the Anbu uniforms, and came up with a jutsu called Oiroke no jutsu which is nothing but a henge in which he turns into a gorgeous naked woman among many other things."

Takeshi began laughing, "That's brilliant. I bet you fell for it didn't you. I remember helping Ni-san clean up the office when he replaced you and I particularly remember Jiraiya-sensei's Icha-Icha series in your bottom right drawer. I bet you put them back there."

Hiruzen blushed in embarrassment. He had been caught. He usually kept his perverse side hidden. The only ones who knew about it were Biwako, Jiraiya and Naruto.

Hiruzen then got over his embarrassment and continued, "In the academy, he didn't have any friends. He used to create a lot of trouble for the instructors there. Only one instructor cared for him, Umino Iruka. Naruto couldn't perform the Bunshin no Jutsu in the academy and failed thrice. After the third failure, the assistant instructor, Touji Mizuki told Naruto that he could pass if he stole the scroll of seals kept here in the Hokage tower and learnt a jutsu from it. Naruto somehow managed to steal the scroll and learnt the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in record time. Mizuki was planning to betray the village and go to Orochimaru with the scroll of seals. Iruka however found Naruto there and learnt what had happened. Mizuki then told Naruto about the Kyuubi being sealed inside him and during that moment of distraction, tried to kill him. Iruka saved Naruto by coming in the way of the Fuuma Shuriken that was intended to kill him. Just when Mizuki was about to kill Iruka, Naruto got over his shock and created hundreds of Kage-Bunshin and beat up Mizuki. He knows about the Kyuubi but hasn't met the Kyuubi or used his power yet I think. I haven't received Kakashi's report regarding their mission to Nami no kuni. That was their first C-rank mission. He has gone through a lot of pain and suffering all by himself. You were on your mission. Jiraiya had to watch over the spy network and couldn't take a child with him. Kakashi after Minato's death joined the Anbu and was not in the right state of mind to take care of a child either. Naruto wants to be Hokage. He has idolized his father without even realizing it. But I'm afraid he'll have to work really hard to win everyone's acceptance and acknowledgement."

Takeshi stroked his beard at his chin as he said, "I see."

Hiruzen then asked, "Tell me about this power called haki. How does it work?"

"While I was in Kiri, I came across a lost summoning contract of Lions in the Mizukage's shelves. Lions are apparently very choosy about their summoners and have never had one since the Sandaime Raikage. The Sandaime Raikage as you know was a very strong man. I signed the contract and they accepted me after a serious personality test followed by a physical and mental test. They then trained me in haki, a power only the Sandaime Raikage and I are familiar with. The Raikage didn't complete his training and never really summoned them in battle. This led to them cancelling their contract with the Raikage. Kiri stole the contract before anyone else could sign it. Those who signed the contract ended up being eaten by the lions because they failed the test. I passed the test and they trained me for two years continuously in haki. After that I summoned them during some of my battles and for passing on information. There are mainly three types of haki, Kenbonshoku no haki, Bushoushoku no haki and Haoshoku on haki. Kenbonshoku no haki improves once observational skills greatly. I used that technique to sense your lies. It can also help me in battle by allowing me to predict my opponent's moves. It can also be used to tell how many enemies are there in my vicinity and how strong they are. The second Bushoushoku no haki, gives me an invincible armor that can be used for both defense and offense. The Raikage learnt a bit of both Kenobonshoku and Bushoushoku haki and further reinforced them with lightning chakra. The third one is Haoshoku no haki. This is something that only few chosen ones can wield. It used to be called the haki of the chosen ones. If my enemies are weak willed, I can make them unconscious by using this haki. I used it in Kiri to bring down the entire army of the Mizukage."

Hiruzen couldn't help but be impressed by the power the man infront of him wielded. "I'll announce a council meeting today evening. Make sure that you arrive on time. Also, what do you intend to do about Naruto? I hope you don't introduce yourself as his uncle. I don't think Naruto is mature enough or strong enough to learn that information. I was hoping to tell him only after he reached Jounin level."

"Hokage-sama, Naruto is my nephew. I'll help him out. I'll help him get stronger. But I agree with you, Naruto can't learn about his family yet. He isn't strong enough. I'll just tell him that I'll help him because that's what my brother would want me to do and that is in fact the truth. I'll see you later, Hokage-sama. I'll be in our old place. Till Naruto becomes old enough, that place is mine. I hope it wasn't destroyed during the Kyuubi attack."

Hiruzen shook his head and said, "The place is still intact. Thanks to the seals placed by Minato, no one else has been able to enter the place."

Takeshi stood up and bowed his head before saying, "I'll take your leave now then. I've some graves to visit, some people I want to pay my respects to and I also want to see my little brother and nephew." Takeshi said before walking out of the Hokage's office.

* * *

Takeshi went to his old house, where he used to stay with Minato and Kushina. He walked in and took a look inside. Both Kushina and Minato hated cleaning and hence used several seals all over the place to keep it clean. It may have been thirteen years but the food in the house hadn't been spoilt at all. Kushina had come up with a seal to preserve food for decades if necessary and used it to preserve the food. Minato had charged the place with his Raiton chakra in several seals so that they could have current in the place forever without having to pay for it. Kushina had done the same with her Suiton affinity to make sure that would always have water no matter what. Takeshi's Fuuton affinity was used for the air-conditioning. Their house was the best example of the Fuinjutsu prowess of the family.

After taking a bath and having some food to eat, Takeshi went to a bar and got himself some sake. He filled his little bottle with the sake and walked towards the memorial stone. He found Kakashi standing there.

"You still spend hours here, huh? I was hoping that you'd have gotten over it." Takeshi said.

"There are far too many things I regret Ni-san. When I stand here, I remember the idiot I used to be back then." Kakashi replied back.

"You were an idiot back then." Takeshi agreed.

"So what brings you here?" Kakashi asked.

"Thirteen years Kakashi. I spent thirteen years on a SS-rank mission my brother sent me on. When I returned today, I was hoping to meet my brother at his office. Tell him about how I've accomplished the mission and become stronger, maybe spar with him to see who is stronger now, and then go and introduce myself to young Naruto before catching up with Kushina-neechan, you, Mikoto-neesan, Itachi and Shisui and also meet young Sasuke." Takeshi said.

Kakashi turned towards his older brother who now had tears in his eyes as he said, "Instead I find that the old man Sandaime-sama is hokage again, my brother and his wife are dead, my nephew is a Jinchuuriki now and is unaware of who his parents are, Mikoto-neesan and Shisui are dead, Itachi is a missing-nin who wiped out his entire clan in one night, young Sasuke is now an orphan who harbors feelings of hatred and revenge against Itachi and you…you're no longer the chibi you used to be. You are as tall as me now and you're the sensei of a Gennin team that includes both young Sasuke and my little nephew. I've got a lot of reasons to come here, Kakashi. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kakashi looked down as he said, "I see. Must have been a shock to you, learning all this, seeing Naruto looking at you in awe because you're the Yondiame's brother. What do you intend to do about him?"

Takeshi wiped his tears as he said, "I want to help him. I won't tell him that I'm his uncle. But I want to train him. If he wants to be Hokage, I'll help him get there."

Kakashi chuckled as he said, "Then you've got your work cut out for you. He has a long way to go before he gets there."

Takeshi smiled as he said, "Wouldn't be fun if that weren't the case."

Takeshi took out his bottle of sake and drank a mouthful before asking Kakashi, "Tell me about him, Kakashi. Tell me about your team in general."

Kakashi took a deep breath as he said, "This team reminds me of my old team in general. Sasuke, being exactly like how I used to be, aloof, considers everyone beneath him, a genius in shinobi arts, horrible at teamwork. Sakura reminds me of Rin, a little bit. She is crazy about Sasuke, she is a fan-girl, very weak, has perfect chakra control, Genjutsu type, can learn Iryo-ninjutsu as well, keeps asking Sasuke for dates and gets rejected, she finds Naruto irritating. Naruto reminds me of Obito. He is always competing with Sasuke, he likes Sakura and keeps asking her for dates despite being rejected all the time, he is a loud-mouth knucklehead ninja, dead-last of the academy. But Naruto has his moments sometimes. I can assure you this last mission would have ended in a failure with all of us dead hadn't it been for him. The client who we were entrusted to protect, Tazuna lied about the mission. It was supposed to a mere C-rank escort mission. Tazuna is a bridge builder in Nami no kuni. He was trying to build a bridge to open trade with other countries. This would affect the business of Gato, a shipping merchant who had taken control of Nami no kuni. Gato hired Zabuza, a boy named Haku, who travelled with Zabuza and the demon brothers of the Mist. We encountered the demon brothers first and defeated them. We continued on with the mission, despite having learnt that the client had lied about it. The next person we encountered was Zabuza. I let my guard down and got trapped in a water prison jutsu. Naruto hatched a brilliant plan then on the fly. He created several clones that engaged Zabuza's clones and were getting pummeled by them. He henged himself into a Fuuma Shuriken and had his clones throw it to Sasuke who threw his own Fuuma Shuriken along with Naruto using the Shadow Shuriken technique. Zabuza caught the original Shuriken and dodged the second one. Naruto got rid of the transformation and threw a kunai which forced Zabuza to move his hand breaking the water prison that had me imprisoned. I had Zabuza outmatched in the battle that followed, till an Oinin intervened and shot a senbon at Zabuza. The oinin was a boy named Haku who had put Zabuza in a state of temporary death to save him. A week later, we fought the duo at the bridge. Naruto and Sasuke took on Haku. Sasuke awakened his sharingan during the battle, but Naruto was outmatched. Sasuke put his body in the way to shield Naruto from Haku's attack. Naruto thinking that Sasuke had died released a bit of the Kyuubi chakra and defeated Haku. Meanwhile I had Zabuza on the ropes and was about to kill him with my chidori, when Haku intervened. He jumped in front of it to save Zabuza. After that Zabuza was much slower and less effective during the fight. Gato then appeared on the bridge with his thugs to kill Zabuza, Tazuna and the rest of us. When he kicked Haku's dead body, Naruto got angry and began scolding Zabuza. Naruto's words hurt Zabuza badly. Zabuza soon began crying as he remembered Haku. Zabuza asked for a kunai from Naruto. Zabuza took the kunai in his mouth and attacked Gato and his thugs killing Gato and several of them before dying having been pierced by so many a strikes on his body. The remaining thugs were about to attack us for the death of the one who was supposed to pay them. That was when the villagers who were toothless till then galvanized themselves and attacked. The one who brought them together was a kid who had initially given up before Naruto shouted at him and scolded him. Sasuke woke up after that. It turned out that Haku didn't want to kill him, so he just put Sasuke in a state of death. I almost lost one of my Gennin during this mission yet again, Ni-san after I promised myself that I won't let something like that ever happen again."

"I see. Then instead of standing here and moping about it, go to the Hokage tower, submit your report and start training your Gennin seriously. I want to train Naruto personally. I'm sure that at some point Jiraiya-sensei would want to take up his training. But before that I want to train Naruto. I've been thinking of a training technique that could help him grow strong extremely fast ever since the Sandaime told me about him creating hundreds of Kage-Bunshins. It will probably be something that only he'll be able to do." Takeshi said.

Kakashi thought for a while before it hit him. "You can't be serious, Ni-san. The information could be too much for the brain to process."

Takeshi just smiled as he said, "Kakashi, the brain of a human being stops growing once they turn twelve. Naruto is already twelve and will soon turn thirteen. From what I've heard, Naruto is more like Kushina-neechan than Minato-nisan. When he speaks from his heart, his words are more effective than any weapon, he loves Ramen and he is horrible at learning from a book and is a bit of a hothead who wants to be Hokage. All of that is definitely Kushina-neechan. I will get him introduced to Fuinjutsu. Kushina-neechan sucked at academics but was a master of Fuinjutsu and was the one who taught the art to both me and my brother. I'll also refine his skills. With Kage-Bunshins aiding him, I can get him to Chunin level before the upcoming Chunin exams."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ****I SUSPECT PEOPLE MIGHT NOT BE TOO HAPPY WITH THE IDEA OF HAKI BEING A PART OF THE STORY. I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED HOW DIFFERENT THE STORY COULD BE IF NARUTO COULD USE HAKI. EXCEPT TAKESHI AND NARUTO, NO ONE ELSE WILL BE USING HAKI. I UNDERSTAND IF PEOPLE FEEL THAT THIS IS A NARUTO X ONE PIECE CROSSOVER WHERE I DROPPED RAYLEIGH INTO THE NARUTO WORLD WITH A DIFFERENT NAME AND IDENTITY. FOR ME THOUGH, THIS IS STILL JUST A MINOR CROSSOVER, BECAUSE TO ME IT IS DEVIL FRUITS, LUFFY AND THE STRAWHATS THAT MAKE ONE PIECE WHAT IT IS, NOT HAKI OR RAYLEIGH.**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: UNCLE AND NEPHEW**

Takeshi after his talk with Kakashi decided to go to Ichiraku Ramen, where he knew Naruto would be having dinner. Takeshi walked towards the Ramen stand and took a seat next to Naruto who was with Iruka. Naruto was telling Iruka about his mission at Nami no Kuni, when Takeshi said loudly, "Teuchi-san, I would like one miso ramen. I haven't had one in years now." Teuchi turned around and immediately recognized the blond. It was the same blond who used to escort his old favorite customer, Uzumaki Kushina.

Teuchi came closer to inspect the blond and asked, "Is that you, Takeshi-san?"

"Yup."

"I thought you died during the Kyuubi attack." Teuchi said.

"I actually left on a mission two months before that. Just returned today." Takeshi answered.

Takeshi then looked around and saw a girl working coming with Naruto's order. He turned to Teuchi, "Is this you daughter, little Ayame-chan? She has grown up."

Teuchi nodded. Ayame didn't remember who it was, so Teuchi introduced him to her, "Ayame, meet Namikaze Takeshi. He is the brother of the Yondaime." Teuchi told Ayame.

Ayame then recognized the blond. He was her first crush back when she was a six year old girl. Ayame blushed instantly.

The other person who was startled by the introduction was Iruka. Naruto didn't notice him since he was too focused on his Ramen. Iruka turned to Takeshi and asked him, "Are you really the brother of Yondaime-sama?"

Takeshi merely nodded in reply. Naruto noticed Takeshi at that moment. He turned around and said, "Ah, you are here. You must tell me, what was the Yondaime like?"

Takeshi chuckled lightly as he said, "Most people start of a conversation with questions like 'Who are you?' and 'How are you?'. You just started a conversation asking, how was your brother like."

Iruka and Teuchi chuckled too at Naruto's lack of manners and tact as Naruto pouted. Takeshi smiled as he said, "He was a genius. He was more than a brother, he was like a father to me. He was eight years older than me afterall. He was a genius who always gave his all when it came to protecting whatever was truly important to him. He was a man who never failed. Still can't believe that he is dead. I'm just glad that even at death, he died as a hero, as a winner in the battle against the Kyuubi."

Iruka, Teuchi and Naruto looked at Takeshi in awe as he spoke about his brother. Iruka then extended his hand forward and said, "Sorry, my name is Umino Iruka. I'm a Chunin who teaches at the Academy. This is Uzumaki Naruto. He is my old student."

Takeshi shook his hand as he said, "Glad to meet you. How is it like teaching the kids in the academy?"

Iruka smiled as he answered, "It is fun sometimes. Sometimes it is horrible especially when you get some troublesome students like Naruto every now and then."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled before pouting, "I wasn't that troublesome."

"You used to skip the academy to paint the Hokage monument." Iruka replied.

Takeshi laughed at their interaction before asking Naruto, "What did you do to my brother's face?"

Naruto gulped before answering, "I drew eye-lashes and swirls on his cheeks."

Takeshi immediately started laughing out loud. Iruka expected him to scold Naruto and hence asked, "Why are you laughing Namikaze-san?"

Takeshi recovered from his laughter and told Iruka, "Please call me Takeshi. The reason I laughed was because Naruto-kun here hit the mark with his depiction of my brother. Ni-san was often called flaky and girlish. I used to use those terms myself to make fun of him all the time."

Both Iruka and Naruto were stunned out of their wits. Naruto quickly got over it and asked, "Why would they call him girlish? He was really strong, right?"

Takeshi smiled as he said, "Sure, he was strong. But outside fights, he was someone who was shy and generally kept a distance from girls. He used to blush a lot around girls and never knew how to approach them."

Naruto and Iruka smiled as Takeshi laughed at the thought of a shy Yondaime hokage. That was when Teuchi brought Takeshi his ramen, which Takeshi ate relishing every moment of it.

"Now that I remember, Jiji also said that you're Kakashi-sensei's adopted older brother. So since you were the Yondaime's brother, was Kakashi sensei, the Yondaime Hokage's brother too?" Naruto asked.

"I guess Kakashi didn't tell you much about him, did he?" Takesh asked Naruto, who shook as his as he said, "All he told us when we introduced ourselves was his name."

Takeshi smiled before saying, "Kakashi and I go way back. I'm about two years older than him. Both of us were considered prodigies. After I graduated I was placed under Kakashi's father, Sakumo-sensei. Kakashi's Jounin sensei was my brother. I guess he never told you but he is the last living student of the Yondaime Hokage."

"Ehhh! He was the Yondaime's student. Why didn't he say anything?" Naruto groaned.

"As I said earlier, he is my brother's last living student. His teammates are dead. He obviously doesn't like bringing up his past." Takeshi said sadly recalling Obito and Rin mentally.

"I see." Naruto said quietly.

Takeshi put some money at the counter and was about to leave when Naruto who had a sad guilty expression on his face suddenly said, "Ossan, you may not know this since you just came back today and also because this is a S-rank secret, but I am…"

"The container of the Kyuubi that killed my brother. I knew that already." Takeshi completed for Naruto, who suddenly looked shocked and asked, "You knew?"

"I'm an accomplished sensor kid. The moment you entered the Hokage's office earlier today, I sensed the Kyuubi inside you." Takeshi said with a smile.

"So you're not angry with me? You don't hate me? The thing that killed your brother is inside me. Don't you want to hurt it?" Naruto asked Takeshi

Takeshi chuckled as he said, "Kid, What do you take me for? I'm an elite Jounin and a Fuinjutsu master. I may not be of my brother's level in the art, but I know the difference between the Kyuubi and its container better than most. As far as I'm concerned you're my brother's last master piece. I respect his sacrifice and I understand why he did what he did. If anything kid, you've already earned my respect for not crumbling to the hatred around you. I bet my brother would be proud of you as well."

As Takeshi said those words, tears filled Naruto's eyes. Iruka, Teuchi and Ayame knew how much those words meant to Naruto and they couldn't help but thank Takeshi mentally for lifting a heavy burden from Naruto's little shoulders.

Takeshi smiled as Naruto cried before saying, "That said, I want to see how good you are? I asked Kakashi about you and he told me you're a hyperactive knucklehead ninja."

Naruto was about to yell insults about Kakashi, before Takeshi added, "According to him you're a very surprising ninja as well. He did say that without you, the last mission would have probably ended a failure with everyone dead. So I've decided to see for myself how good you are. Who knows, maybe I can teach you a thing or two that would make you a much better ninja, perhaps something from my brother's arsenal?"

Those were the magic words as Naruto immediately yelled, "When and Where Ossan? Just tell me the time and place and I'll be there."

Takeshi smiled as he said, "Call me Ossan again, and I'll kick your ass, I'm not that old. Come tomorrow at 7 in the morning. Make sure you eat your breakfast. I want to see everything you've got. I've got a council meeting to attend later tonight. So I'll see you in the morning."

Takeshi then left the restaurant and headed for the Council room.

* * *

Just before he reached the Council Room, Iruka intercepted him. Takeshi turned to Iruka and said, "Hi Iruka, what are you doing here?"

"What are you trying to do, Takeshi-san? Naruto maybe gullible, but I know when someone is trying to get him to do something. Using the words Yondaime's arsenal was really dirty." Iruka said.

Takeshi smiled as he said, "You really care for him, don't you? Relax Iruka, I really do intend to teach Naruto. He is my brother's legacy. I can't let him be weak. I'm going to train him, improve his skills and get him introduced to Fuinjutsu. He needs to know what my brother's seal really is, what my brother's seal has done to him and what he'll need to do to keep Konoha safe. Naruto may not have told you this, because he probably doesn't know this, but Kakashi told me that during the last mission, Naruto used a bit of the Kyuubi's chakra. In his very first C-rank mission, he subconsciously called upon a little of the Kyuubi's chakra and the more he does that, the more the seal weakens. He needs to know what he is dealing with here. I promise to make him stronger. I've already spoken to Kakashi about it."

Iruka was shocked to hear that Naruto had used the Kyuubi's chakra subconsciously and couldn't imagine the horror if the Kyuubi broke free. He bowed his head as he said, "Please take care of him. He is like a little brother to me. I can't help but be a bit protective of him, especially since he is a bit of an idiot."

Takeshi nodded before he walking into the building.

* * *

INSIDE THE COUNCIL ROOM:

The Hokage stood at the center of the Council room as all the council members assembled. The civilian council with several members had taken up their seats as the members of the Shinobi council arrived. Clan head representing the different clans of Konoha made their way into the council room.

Representing the Nara clan was Nara Shikaku, representing the Yamanaka clan was Yamanaka Inoichi, representing the Akimichi clan was Akimichi Chouza, representing the Hyuuga clan was Hyuuga Hiashi, representing the Inuzuka clan was Inuzuka Tsume, representing the Aburame clan was Aburame Shibi and representing the Kurama clan was Kurama Murakumo. The seats of the Senju clan, Sarutobi clan, Shimura clan and the Uchiha clan were empty since the Uchiha were wiped out already with Sasuke being too young to participate in such a meeting, while the Senju clan's leader, Tsunade was outside the village and the Sarutobi clan's leader was none other than the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.

Besides these, the advisors of the Hokage, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo, who was also the leader of the Shimura clan were also present and were occupying their respective seats. Koharu was the first to speak up, "Why have you called for a council meeting suddenly today?"

"I've several reasons to call for this council meeting. First thing on the agenda is the success of Team 7's mission. The client lied about the mission. They left on a C-rank mission which actually turned out to be an A-rank mission. Gato, the businessman was controlling Nami no Kuni while the client, Tazuna was building a bridge that would ruin his business leading to Gato hiring the Demon of Kiri, Momichi Zabuza, along with the Demon brothers of Kiri and a boy named Haku who was of the Yuki clan to kill Tazuna. Team 7 continued with the mission and it was successfully accomplished with Gato and all the missing-nin dead. Uchiha Sasuke awakened his Sharingan during the mission." Hiruzen said. The civilians and the elders were all ecstatic to hear that Sasuke awakened his Kekkai Genkai. The Sandaime noted everyone's faces before adding, "During the mission, Uchiha Sasuke nearly died leading to Uzumaki Naruto using the Kyuubi's power to defeat Yuki Haku who defeated Sasuke in battle."

Immediately there were roars from the Civilian council demanding the death of Uzumaki Naruto. Hiruzen quieted everyone with a chakra enhanced yell. Danzo decided to make yet an attempt again, "You should give him to me, Saru. I can train him. You should give him to me now before things become any more worse than it already is. I can train him."

Hiruzen turned towards Danzo and said, "You're right when you say that Naruto needs training but not from you. There are so many better candidates than you."

Koharu who supported Danzo asked, "Who is it, then? Jiraiya is out of the village. Kakashi is good but he needs to focus on Uchiha Sasuke. Besides Danzo, who else is there?"

Hiruzen smiled as he said, "And that is what brings us to the second and more important reason for this meeting. My successor, the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato had arranged an SS-rank mission before his death. The mission was successfully accomplished and the only survivor of that mission has returned to Konoha."

Koharu whose question hadn't been answered yet yelled from her seat, "Don't change the topic, Saru!"

Hiruzen yelled, "Silence! The mission was to help the rebels in Kiri win the civil war against the Yondaime Mizukage."

Everyone was shocked when they heard what the Sandaime Hokage just said. There was a stunned silence in the room before Hiruzen continued, "The Yondaime Hokage hoped that when the new Government took over in Kiri, they would extend an alliance towards us and they did. The Godaime Mizukage is coming here during the Chunin exams to sign a treaty with us."

Hyuuga Hiashi stood up to ask, "And who is this survivor who may have brought us a great ally as well, Sandaime-sama?"

Hiruzen chuckled as he said, "I wouldn't call him a survivor, Hiashi-kun. He went incognito when the mission started. We all thought he had died. He was in fact the one who fought the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura in his Sanbi form and defeated him single handedly. He is now called the hero of Kirigakure. All of us had heard legends about him, only he was called 'The Dark King'."

Shikaku stood up and asked, "Sandaime-sama, are you saying that 'The Dark King' is a Konoha ninja?"

Hiruzen smiled as he continued, "That is right, Shikaku. 'The Dark King' is a Konoha ninja who fought a war for thirteen years because of the Yondaime's orders. He fought to create an alliance between Konoha and Kiri. And to answer your question Koharu, he is the one who is going to train Naruto till the Chunin exams atleast."

A few civilians immediately stood up and started raising their voices, "He should be killed, not trained. Ask this Dark King or whatever to train Uchiha-sama instead…."

Suddenly the civilian who was yelling fell down on the desk unconscious with a thud. Everyone looked around for the reason he collapsed. Just then another civilian collapsed. A couple of seconds later, a few more civilians collapsed. The ninja were looking around for the reason they were falling. Soon more civilians kept falling till all the civilians were down unconscious. It was then that the ninja in the room also began feeling a sudden pressure. They turned towards the entrance of the room. With each and every second, it was getting harder to breath and harder to move.

Then the ninja in the room, felt a wave of pressure as a figure appeared at the entrance. The walls started cracking. All the clan heads were finding it impossible to move. The Anbu in the room couldn't move either. Shimura Danzo was sweating buckets and was finding it impossible to move and to him that was a very scary thing. Danzo knew that whoever was coming in was a very strong person, someone he should watch out for. The figure continued walking. Everyone noticed that he wore a white cloak with a hood. Hiruzen noted that he wore the hood, something he left open when he came to his office earlier.

When he reached the front of the room, he removed his hood, released his Haoshoku Haki and revealed himself as he said, "Excuse me! I've spent thirteen years rather secluded and am not really comfortable when there are so many people in the room."

Hiruzen who was the first to regain his breath asked, "I suppose that is Haoshoku no haki?"

Takeshi nodded as he said, "Yup! That was at about 70% concentration."

Shikaku was the first to identify him, "Is that you, Takeshi-kun?"

Takeshi turned his head towards Shikaku, "Ah Shikaku-san, it's been a while. We should have one of her Shogi matches again."

Tsume asked the next question, "You were alive all this time?"

Takeshi nodded his head in reply before Homura asked, "Takeshi-kun, tell us everything that happened. Where were you all this time? Are you really the Dark King? Did you really kill the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura?"

Takeshi nodded as he began, "Thirteen years ago, two months before the Kyuubi attack, my brother, the Yondaime Hokage assigned me an SS-rank mission. He asked me to lead a mission with Anbu members, Dragon, Turtle and Monkey. The mission was to fight in the civil war in Kiri for the rebels. The rebels had requested assistance and so we were sent by the Yondaime who sympathized with the rebels. I myself wore the mask of Tiger during this mission. Except for Ao and Mei Terumi, our identity as Konoha nin were known to none. We were sent on so many missions that included infiltration, espionage and assassination in Kiri completing several of them successfully. Unfortunately our numbers fell too. Eventually five years after the mission began, the only Konoha ninja left was me."

Takeshi paused to remember those who died before continuing, "About five years ago, a major battle took place where the rebel faction suffered a very heavy defeat. We decided to take some time off to recuperate. Yagura thought he had won the war, but in reality, we were just rebuilding our strength. I, myself found the Lion contract and trained with the Lions for two whole years. After those two years I returned as 'The Dark King', an S-ranked ninja. I continued growing stronger with experience."

"So the rumors about gigantic lions decimating a battle field in Kiri were indeed true?" Shikaku asked.

Takeshi nodded before continuing, "Mei Terumi focused on improving our financial strength and our numbers while I dealt significant damage every now and then on Yagura's Government. Eventually we launched a full scale attack again, where Mei and her troops took over most of the islands of Kiri, while I went for Yagura and his elite force at the capital. I quickly took care of about half his force, before Mei arrived to take care of the rest. I then engaged Yagura in a one on one battle. After almost an entire day of fighting, I defeated Yagura and killed him. I was immediately hailed as the hero of Kiri. It was then that I removed my mask and told everyone there about my identity as a Konoha-nin and requested an alliance. Mei Terumi was appointed as the Godaime Mizukage and she promised that she'll come here for the Chunin exams to finalize the alliance. She didn't come immediately because she needed some time to help Kiri recover from the civil war."

Danzo was seething inside. He had previously sent several of his Root and they were all killed by 'The Dark King'. From his earlier display itself, Danzo knew that this wasn't a man he could simply take on. He was strong enough to defeat a Kage who was a Jinchuuriki in full control over his Biju. His powers were unknown and it was well known that he was a Fuinjutsu master and being the brother of the Yondaime, there was no way to for him to get his hands on the Kyuubi.

The civilians had woken up wondering what just happened when they heard what Hiruzen had to say next, "Takeshi-kun here is a Jounin, who fought in the Third Great ninja war and in the Civil War in Kiri. He defeated the Yondaime Mizukage, even when he used the Sanbi in battle. He is a Fuinjutsu master. He is the younger brother of our beloved Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. He is currently an SS-rank ninja. He is without a doubt ideally suited to train Naruto-kun."

The civilians were shocked to hear that their beloved Yondaime had a brother and decided to support the Hokage. The entire Shinobi council agreed as well except for Danzo and Koharu.

* * *

**Author's Note**: **I got a review saying that when I type the author's note in capitals, it seems like I'm shouting, so I've decided to stop using capitals unless I'm indeed shouting. I've been making some subtle changes to the story based on the reviews. Nothing too big, just small things here and there like Takeshi's bingo book info etc. I want people to review. Doesn't matter if you like it or not. I've got very few reviews for my two chapters. I need reviews to improve. If the reviews have good points, I go back and edit those portions. So please do review. I decided to stop here. The next chapter will be 'Uncle and Nephew 2', and will include Naruto's training till the Chunin exams.**


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